American Airlines and TSA launch automated screening lanes at Miami International Airport

MIAMI (October
25, 2017) —

American Airlines, in coordination with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Miami-Dade Aviation Department, has launched two automated security screening lanes in Terminal D at Miami International Airport (MIA).

These new automated screening lanes, funded by American, incorporate technology and screening station modifications that enhance security effectiveness while decreasing the time travelers spend in security screening.

The advanced equipment in the automated lanes offers a number of unique features designed to improve the screening of travelers by automating many of the functions currently conducted manually, allowing passengers to move more swiftly through the checkpoint. These innovations include:

Automated belts that draw bags into the X-ray machines, returning the bins back to queue after completion of the screening

Bags with a potential threat can be directed to a separate area to allow bins behind it to continue through the system uninterrupted

Property bins that are 25 percent larger than the bins in regular screening lanes

Unique Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that are attached to each bin to allow for additional accountability of items as they transit throughout the system

Cameras that capture photos of the outside of the bag, which is linked to the X-ray image of the bag’s contents

“We are proud to be working collaboratively with the TSA and Miami-Dade Aviation Department to launch next-generation screening technology in Miami,” said Ralph Lopez, American Airlines vice president — Miami. “These state-of-the-art lanes enhance security effectiveness and efficiency and will improve the customer experience for many of the 29 million American customers who visit MIA each year.”

“We are proud to partner with American Airlines and the TSA on this latest innovation to improve the passenger experience at MIA,” said Miami-Dade Aviation Director Emilio T. Gonzalez. “We are exploring any and every way that we can safely expedite travelers through security screening and further decrease wait times. The new automated screening lanes do exactly that.”

“Airports in the future must be about moving passengers from reservation to destination, through an almost invisible yet integrated ecosystem of distributed security, with less stress and frustration for both passengers and the officers who screen them,” said Dan Ronan, TSA federal security director — MIA. “These new, innovative automated screening lanes enable us to do that by automating several of the functions previously conducted manually, thereby increasing security effectiveness and enabling passengers to move more swiftly and efficiently throughout the checkpoint.”

American has also launched automated screening lanes at hubs in Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and New York City.

Additionally, American is investing in state-of-the-art Computed Tomography (CT) checkpoint technology. CT technology is expected to provide an enhanced level of detection for aviation security officials. This technology provides officials with scanning equipment that more clearly identifies potential threat items, including those concealed within personal electronic devices (PEDs).

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CT technology is one way the aviation community, including foreign airports, can “raise the bar for aviation security globally.”

This past June, the TSA, working collaboratively with American, began demonstrating CT technology in a checkpoint lane of Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). This was the first time ever that CT technology was deployed to screen carry-on bags. Three-dimensional CT technology could make it possible to allow passengers to leave liquids, gels and aerosols, as well as laptops, in their carry-on bags at all times. This results in a quicker throughput and less bin use.

As part of the commitment to CT technology, American and Analogic Corporation announced earlier this summer a joint partnership that will greatly expand the use CT technology at airports worldwide. American will purchase multiple units of the Analogic ConneCT aviation checkpoint security screening system, making it the official launch customer of ConneCT, a breakthrough in checkpoint security scanning technology. ConneCT is designed to enhance aviation security and increase passenger throughput using an upgradeable CT platform.

“American will always be on the forefront of efforts to invest in state-of-the-art aviation security technology,” said Jose Freig, American Airlines Chief Security Officer. “In coordination with our partners at DHS and TSA, we continue to look at ways to raise the bar for aviation security globally in order to keep our customers and team members safe.”

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